Nitrile Metabolizing Enzymes in Biocatalysis and Biotransformation

Nitrile metabolizing enzymes, i.e., aldoxime dehydratase, hydroxynitrile lyase, nitrilase, nitrile hydratase, and amidase, are the key catalysts in carbon nitrogen triple bond anabolism and catabolism. Over the past several years, these enzymes have drawn considerable attention as prominent biocatalysts in academia and industries because of their wide applications. Research on various aspects of these biocatalysts, i.e., sources, screening, function, purification, molecular cloning, structure, and mechanisms, has been conducted, and bioprocesses at various scales have been designed for the synthesis of myriads of useful compounds. This review is focused on the potential of nitrile metabolizing enzymes in the production of commercially important fine chemicals such as nitriles, carboxylic acids, and amides. A number of opportunities and challenges of nitrile metabolizing enzymes in bioprocess development for the production of bulk and fine chemicals are discussed.     

I2-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of benzofuro/thieno[2,3-b]pyrrole motifs

A novel I₂-catalyzed one-pot multicomponent protocol for the synthesis of a variety of elusive furo[2,3-b]pyrrole and thieno[2,3-b]pyrrole libraries has been established. To date, cyclization among alkanone, hydrazine and 2-bromobenzofuran or 2-bromobenzo[b]thiophene has not been explored in one-pot. Thus, the proposed single step protocol provides a versatile alternative to existing routes for accessing useful furo[2,3-b]pyrrole and thieno[2,3-b]pyrrole libraries.     

A classification theorem for Albert algebras

Let be a field whose characteristic is different from 2 and 3 and let be a quadratic extension. In this paper we prove that for a fixed, degree 3 central simple algebra over with an involution of the second kind over , the Jordan algebra , obtained through Tits' second construction is determined up to isomorphism by the class of in , thus settling a question raised by Petersson and Racine. As a consequence, we derive a ``Skolem Noether' type theorem for Albert algebras. We also show that the cohomological invariants determine the isomorphism class of , if is fixed.

     

Lewis acid metal ion-exchanged MAPO-36 molecular sieve: Characterisation and catalytic activity

Magnesium aluminophosphate-36 (MAPO-36) molecular sieve was synthesised hydrothermally and subjected to wet ion-exchange with Fe³⁺, Zn²⁺, La³⁺ or Ce³⁺. They were characterised by using XRD, SEM, temperature programmed desorption (TPD) of ammonia and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The XRD patterns of ion-exchanged MAPO-36 exhibit similar features to that of MAPO-36, which revealed no structural degradation during ion-exchange. TPD (ammonia) showed selective ion-exchange of strong acid sites for Fe³⁺, La³⁺ and Ce³⁺ but not for Zn²⁺. Based on the results of TGA the actual species involved in the ion-exchange is suggested to be M(OH)₂⁺, which upon calcination converted to MO⁺ where M is Fe³⁺, La³⁺ or Ce³⁺. tert-Butylation of phenol was carried out in the vapour phase as a probe reaction to examine the catalytic activity of MAPO-36 and ion-exchanged MAPO-36 molecular sieves. The ion-exchanged catalysts were found to be more active than the parent MAPO-36 and also showed higher selectivity to 4-tert-butylphenol.     

FT-IR, FT-Raman spectra and quantum chemical calculations of 3,4-dimethoxyaniline

In this work, we will report a combined experimental and theoretical study on molecular and vibrational structure of 3,4-dimethoxyaniline (3,4-DMA). The Fourier transform infrared and Fourier transform Raman spectra of 3,4-DMA was recorded in the solid phase. The optimized geometry was calculated by HF and B3LYP methods using 6-31G(d,p) and 6-311++G(d,p) basis sets. The harmonic vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities, Raman scattering activities and the thermodynamic functions of the title compound were performed at and HF/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theories. The scaled theoretical wavenumber showed very good agreement with the experimental values. A detailed interpretation of the infrared and Raman spectra of 3,4-DMA was reported. The theoretical spectrograms for IR and Raman spectra of the title molecule have been constructed.     

Effect of nanoscale CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> on PVDF-HFP-based nanocomposite porous polymer electrolytes for Li-ion batteries

New poly (vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoro propylene) (PVDF-HFP)/CeO₂-based microcomposite porous polymer membranes (MCPPM) and nanocomposite porous polymer membranes (NCPPM) were prepared by phase inversion technique using N-methyl 2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as a solvent and deionized water as a nonsolvent. Phase inversion occurred on the MCPPM/NCPPM when it is treated by deionized water (nonsolvent). Microcomposite porous polymer electrolytes (MCPPE) and nanocomposite porous polymer electrolytes (NCPPE) were obtained from their composite porous polymer membranes when immersed in 1.0 M LiClO₄ in a mixture of ethylene carbonate/dimethyl carbonate (EC/DMC) (v/v = 1:1) electrolyte solution. The structure and porous morphology of both composite porous polymer membranes was examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. Thermal behavior of both MCPPM/NCPPM was investigated from DSC analysis. Optimized filler (8 wt% CeO₂) added to the NCPPM increases the porosity (72%) than MCPPM (59%). The results showed that the NCPPE has high electrolyte solution uptake (150%) and maximum ionic conductivity value of 2.47 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature. The NCPPE (8 wt% CeO₂) between the lithium metal electrodes were found to have low interfacial resistance (760 Ω cm²) and wide electrochemical stability up to 4.7 V (vs Li/Li⁺) investigated by impedance spectra and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), respectively. A prototype battery, which consists of NCPPE between the graphite anode and LiCoO₂ cathode, proves good cycling performance at a discharge rate of C/2 for Li-ion polymer batteries.     

Micelle mediated extraction of titanium and its ultra-trace determination in silicate rocks

A highly sensitive method for extractive spectrophotometric determination of titanium in silicate rocks is described. Titanium in the range 0-10 microg as TiO2 is extracted into benzene or toluene by the formation of a ternary complex of the metal with thiocyanate (SCN-) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTA) in the ratio 1:2:2. A deep yellowish-orange ternary complex thus formed is suitable for the determination of titanium at wavelength 421 nm. The optimum colour intensity of this ternary complex was attained when the complex was extracted from an aqueous solution having concentrations of thiocyanate and HCl, in the range, 1.5-2.5 and 1-5 mol L(-1), respectively. The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity of the extracted species were found to be 1.1-1.0x10(5) L mol(-1) cm(-1) and 0.47 ng cm(-2) (referred to titanium), respectively, at lambda(max) of 421 nm. Except Fe3+, Nb5+ and V5+, no interference was encountered in the estimation of titanium. While up to 10 mg L(-1) Nb and V did not interfere in the determination of titanium, the interference of Fe(3+) was eliminated by reducing it to Fe2+ using SnCl2 solution. The method is highly sensitive and selective. The results obtained for titanium estimation in a host of silicate rock samples have been found to be highly reproducible, accurate and favourably comparable with certified values of reference materials and those obtained from standard methods.     

Infrared matrix isolation study of the thermal and photochemical reactions of ozone with dimethylzinc

The matrix isolation technique has been combined with infrared spectroscopy and theoretical calculations to explore the reaction of (CH3)2Zn with O3 over a range of time scales. Upon twin jet deposition, an initial cage pair complex was observed, along with formation of the novel H3COZnCH3 species. Subsequent UV irradiation destroyed the complex and greatly increased the yield of H3COZnCH3. An extensive set of bands were seen for this molecule, and (18)O spectroscopic data were obtained as well. The identification of this species was supported by theoretical calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++g(d,2p) level. Merged jet deposition led to a very different set of products, including H2CO, CH3OH and C2H6, identifications that were confirmed by (18)O substitution. In addition, a new variable length concentric deposition technique was developed to permit study of the time scales between twin (relatively short) and merged (relatively longer) reaction times. Mechanistic inferences for this reaction are discussed.     

An experimental study of decoupling sequences for multiple-quantum and high-resolution MAS experiments in solid-state NMR

Recently, a sequence for heteronuclear dipolar decoupling in solid-state NMR, namely SWf-TPPM, was introduced by us. Under magic-angle spinning (MAS), the decoupling efficiency of the sequence was unaffected over a range of values for various experimental parameters such as the pulse length, pulse phase, and 1H resonance offset. We here demonstrate its use in multiple-quantum (MQ) and high-resolution (HR) MAS experiments. This sequence further improves the MQMAS spectra compared to the earlier reported decoupling sequences with improved immunity to any missets of the pulse length, pulse phase and decoupler offset. In contrast, for HRMAS, the simple CW scheme is as efficient as any of the decoupling schemes that were studied.